


Guardians

by KenjiroS



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: ? - Freeform, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, M/M, One Shot, Rare Pairings, Rarepair, Romance, Slow Burn, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 09:26:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17557733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KenjiroS/pseuds/KenjiroS
Summary: Daichi's team goes to check out a destroyed shrine for possible traces or victims. And finds something a bit different.





	Guardians

**Author's Note:**

> 2 In the morning. This is what happens.

Scouting through ruins was never pleasant but someone had to do it. Daichi looked around the rubble, breathing in the scalding humid air. No lost lives on theory, but they had to comb it through. A small misinformation, he thought as he tried to keep track of his team of Search and Rescue. The festival had been supposed to be held on that day, but a sewage issue had forced even the most dedicated participants to agree on postponing it for a week and a half later. A secluded shrine, still new and shining, now reduced to rocks and wood.

  He paused to apologise to whoever was guarding the place. True, it was new and he wasn’t that much religious but if he wanted to be respected, he had to offer the same in return. One never knew. And he’d never been the person who would completely write a possibility off, until he had concrete evidence.

  Looking ahead, he gathered himself and stepped on the shrine grounds. There was nothing there, nothing to be wary of, no demons lurking in the shadows. And not only because the summer sun didn’t allow any shadows to exist. It was barely past seven in the morning and yet the temperatures were rising without a sign of stopping. He could feel the sweat under his shirt. It was going to be one of those days.

 His team was carefully going through the remains of the buildings, the dogs keeping quiet, and it brought him peace. Quiet dogs meant no people under, neither dead nor alive, and that was the best outcome.

  - Daichi-san ? – He looked up from the burnt wood of what had been a lovely chōzuya. It had been good wood, too. Lacquered red planks and smooth stone. He stood up from his squat and dug through his pockets for his camera, waiting for Nishinoya to speak. – Attila gave a signal. I think.

  Daichi paused mid-dig. Nishinoya was looking him the eyes, looking like he was trying to challenge him, while Attila, his black lab, was paying on the ground. Which was more than odd because the dog was usually as excited and energetic as his owner. For him to look almost ashamed…

 - What do you mean, you think ? – Because while they did have a whole gang of newbies with them today, Nishinoya was not one of them. He was actually one of the people who always helped and taught the newcomers, not one of those who hesitated. Just like Attila. – Did he give a signal or…?

 - Yeah, that’s the issue. – Now Nishinoya ran a hand through his hair. Or, more like, tried. Because of the gel he had to stop only a centimetre in and rub his neck instead. – He did give a signal. Only, it wasn’t the signal for a body or a living person. He just reacted to a spot. – That was more than strange. Unlike most handlers in the squad, Nishinoya had come in for training with his own dog. Attila had been a handful of fluff then, Daichi thought. Just a baby. They had learnt together and the dog was one of the most accurate ones he’d ever seen. He simply didn’t make mistakes.

 - Animal ? Dead or alive ? – The other man shook his head.

 - We looked. Me and Asahi lifted everything. Every stone, until it was just the bare soil. We cleared a huge circle because Asahi was sure it was a homeless person or maybe a lost child. – Another small shrug. – Nothing.

 - What did Attila do after you cleared the spot ? – Because if it had been an odd smell on the rocks, in theory, a dog could react, even with the best training. They were living creatures, after all. Incredibly clever, true, but still prone to mistakes and confusion.

 

 - Same thing. Almost crawled on the ground and gave the same signal when he reached the same place. There was nothing there, only dirt. It doesn’t look disturbed…

  Daichi knew what Nishinoya meant. If the place had looked freshly tampered with, something could had been buried there. But with flat, undisturbed soil…

 - I’ll get my shovel. Where is it ? – Nishinoya pointed at the far end of the ruins.

 - By where the honden used to be. I put a flag and told the others not to get close. – Daichi just nodded. The other man had done everything right. – Could it be a gas leak or something ?

  He considered the idea. It was possible, maybe, although it shouldn’t had been an unfamiliar signal.

 - Attila is trained to look for those, right ? – Nishinoya just blinked.

 - He is, but we’ve never really encountered one, so maybe he’s confused ? Like, he knows gas is wrong but maybe forgot how to react to it ?

 - One way to find out, right ?

 - I’ll go through your quadrant while you check it out, okay ? – Daichi just waved in agreement. Nishinoya was much more careful and considerate than what most people thought the first time they met him. He was loud, overly-excitable and positive. And one of his best subordinates. He’d seen him run in an actual fire more times that it was probably good for his own blood pressure, to save someone or even to check if there was someone to save. Firefighters often joked that if he set his mind, he would have them all without jobs within the month.

  He walked down the long sandō keeping an eye on the rest of his team, some with dogs, some with equipment looking for temperature anomalies, some with shovels. And the sun kept rising.

  The marked place was hard to miss. A little flag on a pole curled in the non-existent wind and, if that didn’t do it, the nervous face of Asahi would be more than enough. The ground was cleared in an almost perfect circle, probably because of Kageyama who was shuffling nearby, squinting at the little screen of the tablet in his hands, and Daichi approached slowly.

 - So, what is it ? – Asahi twitched and then zeroed on him. And then relaxed.

 - No idea. It wasn’t a signal they teach the dogs, so it can’t be something rare we haven’t seen before that he remembers. I checked on their website. – Smart. The dogs were often better prepared than the humans and everyone who did Search and Rescue knew better than to doubt a dog that was confident. And Asahi was looking way too uncomfortable. Daichi propped the shovel on the ground.

 - What else ? – Ah, there it was. Guilt. What was going on here ? – Asahi, I can read every thought you are having right now on your face. What is it ?

 - Pancake. – Hinata’s belgian malinois. The dog reached above her owner’s elbow and was the calmest of their team. And she adored Kageyama who, as Hinata’s partner, spent almost as much time around her as her owner. If she had reacted to the place…

 - What did she do ? – Asahi chewed on his lip for a moment and then raised his palm in almost apologetic manner.

 - She gave a signal. On the same spot. – Daichi squared his shoulders. – Only, it was a different signal, not like Attila. And it’s also not one they teach them.

  That actually made things much clearer.

 - Thanks, Asahi. I’ll check it out. If it’s such a small area, it should be easy.

  The other man opened his mouth to say something, maybe try to object but a sharp “Asahi !” made him jump. Nishinoya was waving at him all the way from the stairs and obviously trying to get him to go to him. Daichi just nodded at him to go and went down on one knee to inspect the ground. Left alone, he allowed his thoughts to chase the trail from a minute ago.

  Two different dogs, coming from different classes, which had been trained in the same facility. Different trainers, same rules. Universal rules. Two different signals, he considered while petting the warm soil, drawing circles in it. Unfamiliar signals. What did that mean ? He picked at the spot with the tip of a pen he found in his pocket.

  That they knew there was something there but couldn’t recognise what it was. So they showed their handlers the place but couldn’t express what was in that place. He dug deeper, the chatter around him turning into static. Leaves shuffled, water bubbled, a crow made its presence knows a few times. He could barely feel the sun and the sweat was cooling on his skin. Oh, nice. Wind. That would really make their job easier. What did dogs sense but was not covered by training ? What was it…

 - It’s pointless. – He froze. The voice was unfamiliar and he knew with certainty that there wasn’t supposed to be anyone on site with them. Looking up, squinting in the morning sun, Daichi tried to focus on the man. Expression more than calm, he was observing him like he was something that wasn’t supposed to be there but didn’t really matter in the long run.

 - I’m sorry ? – He leaned on one palm and got up in the least graceful way possible. His joints felt squeaky and old, and he could swear his spine popped a few times.

 - What you are doing ? It’s pointless. It’s not there anymore. It was never in the ground. – The stranger was talking about whatever had confused the dogs. And how it wasn’t there anymore. Daichi tried to gather some information from the man’s looks.

  As tall as him, ash-blond with darker tips, jeans and a t-shirt. Nothing on him suggested who he was or what he was doing there.

 - Can I ask who are you ? – The man cocked his head, face still as placid and uninterested as a quiet lake.

 - Sure. – And then he shrugged, obviously finished with his answer. Daichi exhaled a little louder than usual. This was being petty on the level of the firefighters’ captain. Only, Kuroo usually had an annoying smirk to go with the goading. This was…nothing.

 - Who are you ? – A little more straightforward.

 - Doesn’t matter. What matters is that you should focus on what can be done. Salvaged and fixed. Not on… - He looked down at the cleared area for a second. – this. It’s just a waste of time.

 - And how do you know ? – It was strangely quiet around him but Daichi was too focused on the stranger who had no business there to focus on the silence.

 - I am keeping it safe until it’s time to put it back where it belongs. – The man looked around, eyes almost distant. – However long it takes.

 - What is it ? – He would try to get as much information as possible before the man decided to just leave.

 - A quill and an inkwell. Made of stone. Small. Not valuable. – Something in the even tone suggested than the object was definitely not not-valuable but Daichi didn’t comment on that. Instead, he tried to press a bit more.

 - Why did you take it ? – The man looked back at him, looking confused.

 - To keep it safe, of course. It is the go-shintai, after all. – The go-shintai. The body of the god. Who was this man, to know that ?

 - Are you the priest of the shrine ? – Daichi was sure there had been a name mentioned, maybe, but he’d never actually met anyone from the place itself and had only gotten his instructions from the emergency service dispatcher.

 - There is no priest. – The man’s eyes were such a pale grey colour, Daichi would swear he was blind of not for the fact that it was obvious he could see. And now he was looking him right in the eyes. It was a little disturbing though nothing beat Kageyama’s focused face. It wasn’t the kid’s fault and they were all getting used to him, but it had been startling in the beginning. This ? This was something else entirely. It was a focus though it looked a little misplaced, like the man was looking him in the face but was also reading a book behind his eyes. And then the answer finally reached his brain.

 - No priest ? – He got a head shake, the man’s long dark grey tipped fringe falling in his eyes only a little. – Who are you, then ? There aren’t supposed to be civilians here, either. – Daichi seriously doubted that was the case but one never knew. – It’s dangerous. Rocks, nails, holes in the ground…

 - I know this place better than you know your own face, captain. – That was an odd way to address him, especially since it was an unofficial title that he was trying to get his team to drop. Something in the placid tone didn’t match his men’s joking. He was serious.

 - Not a captain. How do you know it ?

 - Those were enough questions. You might want to head back. – Head back ? It wasn’t even noon yet, what was the man…Daichi stopped. His eyes glued on the other man’s face, he listened. Nothing. No other people, no dogs. No cars. He turned, slowly, to look around, almost afraid of what he would see. It was…night. Almost. The sun still brightened one side of the sky though it was below the horizon. And there was nobody on the site. He pulled his phone to check the…

 21:17

  What the… - He looked up and almost shouted because the other man was not there…But he was. A few metres away, obviously walking away and having stopped to look back at Daichi.

 - Who are you ?

 - There are no people buried here. Nothing valuable. The shrine will stand again. Sooner or later. Captain. – And with one final nod, he walked around a huge pile of rocks that had been moved from the ruins (When ?) and…didn’t appear on the other side. Which was obviously because only a few trees away, Daichi knew, was a boulevard that lead to the city centre. And the guy had probably jumped the fence.

  That still didn’t explain where had his entire day gone. What had just happened ?

 

  On the next day, he remained in his office. Suga had looked more than concerned when he’d mentioned it, and had even shut the door and asked him if he was okay, but Daichi had simply waved him off with a smile. Which, judging by his closest friend’s narrowed eyes, hadn’t been even close to convincing. But he’d needed the time and space to think about the day before.

  And entire day, just gone. He’d poked a little at his colleagues but they said he’d just spent it measuring and doing shallow digs on the spot. Nothing out of the ordinary. And had, apparently, declared he was going to stay after they all had left to check the site once more. And that had happened around seven o’clock. It didn’t make sense. So he did the next sensible thing – googled the symptoms of a sun stroke.

  The only thing that matched was “confusion” though he would had had fainted sometime during the day in that case. Maybe he wasn’t getting enough sleep ? He glanced at the can on his desk. Energy drinks were not healthy and all that sugar was probably messing with him. Yes…

  He rubbed his face, leaning back in his chair. Heat, humidity, lack of sleep and a mix of caffeine and sugar. Those things could, he guessed, mess up even an adult man’s constitution. He had to find a healthier way to deal with the demands of the job. He loved it and since he didn’t have even the tiniest inclination to change it, he had to find a way to deal with the stress. Of course, he considered, he wasn’t even stressed. It was the calmest he’d been in months since the new recruits were finally grown in their own skins. It was comfortable, exciting and fulfilling. So what was with the hallucinations ?

  Anyway. He decided to rest that day and catch up with the paperwork. Maybe even with his team’s paperwork, since most of them were brilliant out in the field but terrible when it came to reports. He stretched and stood up, heading for the closest pile of dangerously leaning papers. Better start from somewhere.

 

  Walking home that evening, he wasn’t even surprised to see he’d ended up before the shrine. The place had been completely cleared and the next step was left to other teams. Rebuilding took time but since it was a shrine, people would work day and night to get it ready. He’d bet his subordinates who would have days off in the next week would be joining as volunteers. He was going to do the same, of course, but something was pulling him towards the place tonight. The mystery of the missing day was eating him and while he knew there wouldn’t be an answer magically appearing out of thin air, he hoped that maybe being in the same environment would bring some clarity.

  It was silent. Completely silent. He walked around neat piles of materials, separated and with little plastic signs marking the kind of material, the amount and where it was going. Evrything was covered in case of summer rain and the reverent air he’d felt the day before, even in the ruins, was gone. It was just a building site now.

  He was still doing his best not to make a noise. The humidity was heavy in the air, the day still bright even in the late hour, and he walked towards the strange spot.

  There wasn’t a real surprise when he saw a figure kneeling there. The flag was gone and so were the rocks, but he remembered the exact place. And, he guessed, so did his new acquaintance. In a black yukata, with the tiniest warm yellow detailing along the fabric, he recognised the man by the strange hair.

 Daichi stopped. This didn’t feel right. At all. The man just stood up, much more gracefully that Daichi had the day before, and turned. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting but the face that met his eyes was just as normal and calm as it had been last time. No horns, tail or, he glanced down, hooves. Although, the stitching along the edge of the yukata was, unless he was mistaken, of stylized foxes. And, he knew because he’d checked today, the god who was supposed to occupy the shrine, had been a patron of…

 - Yes ? – There wasn’t much he could say, not really. So Daichi just smiled a little and waved at the empty yard.

 - Can I help with something ? – Clear grey eyes held his but there was no fear or confusion today. He knew he was being evaluated but since he knew he had nothing to hide, he just let the man look.

 - Sure. The boards need to be separated by how usable they are. It will make it easier for everyone tomorrow.

 

  Several hours later, Daichi stared at his own ceiling, enjoying the quiet night, the breeze gently playing with his curtains, and the occasional bird song. He felt pleasantly sore after a full day at his desk and he was sure he would be able to sleep tonight. Fox, huh ?

 

  On the day of the festival, Daichi was sitting on one of the stone benches sipping lemonade and just watching the crowds. His own team was there somewhere, mingling and probably arguing, although he knew they would not go too far. He’d warned them, after all. Several time. True, he’s used the officials present as an excuse but if it worked, it worked.

  - How does it feel ? – He looked at the figure sitting beside him, casual attire almost out of place in the crowd of traditional clothes. Pale eyes glanced him for a moment before focusing back on the cheering people. – To know that you’ve done so much ?

  He tried not to frown. That was not right.

 - We all did. I can’t take responsibility for the actions of several different teams. – He felt the soft silence stretch while everyone was just passing by them, not even noticing.

 - You guarded the place on that first day. Made sure the kid who thought it would be funny to try his homemade explosives on a shrine got arrested. And now the go-shintai is there again, and its place hasn’t been dug or disturbed or covered wrong. It is exactly where it should be. – He felt the figure beside him stand. – Would you like to see ?

  It was tempting but… Daichi shook his head.

 - I am not the priest. I have no right to be there.

 - You kept watch for so long, both that day and the nights after that, and yet you don’t want to see what you’ve been protecting ? – Daichi shook his head again. - Do you know what the honden actually is ?

 - The place where the sacred body of the god resides ? – Hands in his pockets, the other man nodded. In the dancing light of the festival, he seemed almost unreal. Inhuman.

\- Yes. Do you not think you are holy enough to set foot inside ? – It sounded like a trick question but if there was one thing he’d leant about the man, it was that he was literal and didn’t’ dance around words. Ever.

 - No.

 - No. – It sounded like an agreement but it was said with a head shake. The man looked down at Daichi again, eyes as pale at his hair and as bright as the full moon above them. – Who measures holiness, though ? Isn’t it up to the god himself to choose who is noble enough and who is not ?

 And for the first time, Daichi saw a smile. It was tiny, transluscent, pale, nothing more than a shift of a few muscles. But it was there and it was directed at him.

 - Come on. I would like to show you. It is beautiful, although not even close to the beauty of the soul of a truly noble man.

  Daich felt helpless. All he could do was follow, mind going almost blank. But right before took the first step after the man, something moving caught his eye and he paused. A fox. A silver fox, darting from the shrubs when it saw him watching. It ran from the trees to his…companion and rubbed itself around his ankles like an affectionate cat. He kneeled to pet it between the ears and Daichi just stared. Because he knew that if he stopped and counted, really counted, the animal staring at him with eyes just as pale as the man petting it, would have no fewer than nine tails.

 

**Author's Note:**

> How was that ? Let me know.


End file.
